Holder for chopsticks

ABSTRACT

A pair of spaced upstanding downwardly tapering sleeve portions interconnected by an integral inverted U-shaped bow spring portion including a pair of depending legs whose lower ends are joined to adjacent side portions of the upper ends of the sleeve portions. The sleeve portions are adapted to have all but the upper end portions of a pair of chopsticks downwardly inserted therethrough with the upper end portions of the chopsticks wedgingly received in the sleeve portions. Further, the bow spring serves to yieldingly bias the lower ends of the sleeve portions upwardly and away from each other, whereby the chopsticks supported from the holder may be readily supported by inexperienced persons merely by finger contact with the remote surfaces of the chopsticks below their points of support from the tapered sleeve portions of the holder.

[54] HOLDER FOR CHOPSTICKS Miyoichi Arita, 1427 Dillingham Blvd.,Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 22 Filed: Dec. 9, 1969 211 Appl.No.: 883,504

[72] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl ..294/16, 294/99 [51] Int. Cl ..A47g 21/00 [58] FieldofSearch ..81/417, 427; 30/323, 327; 287/86; 248/79, 301, 302, 359, 360;294/3, 1, 16, 99

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 903,067 1 1/1908 Engman..248/302 X 905,944 12/1908 Southard.... ....248/302 X 1,319,334 10/1919Hartung..... ....248/302 X 2,671,626 3/1954 Schmadeke ..248/317 X1,565,118 12/1925 Stugard... ..248/315 2,997,328 8/1961 Lee ....294/163,186,749 6/1965 Dawes ....294/l6 3,239,262 3/1966 Rines et a1. ..294/161 Jan. 25, 1972 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 402,191 4/1909 France..294/3 Primary Examiner-William H. Schultz Attorney-Clarence A. O'Brienand Harvey B. Jacobson 5 7] ABSTRACT A pair of spaced upstandingdownwardly tapering sleeve portions interconnected by an integralinverted U-shaped bow spring portion including a pair of depending legswhose lower ends are joined to adjacent side portions of the upper-endsof the sleeve portions. The sleeve portions are adapted to have all butthe upper end portions of a pair of chopsticks downwardly insertedtherethrough with the upper end portions of the chopsticks wedginglyreceived in the sleeve portions. Further, the bow spring serves toyieldingly bias the lower ends of the sleeve portions upwardly and awayfrom each other, whereby the chopsticks supported from the holder may bereadily supported by inexperienced persons merely by finger contact withthe remote surfaces of the chopsticks below their points of support fromthe tapered sleeve portions of the holder.

1 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEU JAN25 1972 Ml'yaichi Arira I N V/iNTO IL WWW HOLDER FOR CHOPSTICKS Many Occidentals enjoy dining outoccasionally at restaurants which serve foods native to various foreigncountries. While Occidentals eating in restaurants serving foods otherthan Chinese food have little difiiculty in utilizing the eatingutensils which are provided for use by the patrons of such restaurants,when Occidentals eat at Chinese restaurants which provide onlychopsticks as eating utensils, many Occidentals are unable to completelyenjoy their meal due to their inability to properly manipulate thechopsticks provided. Further, some Chinese restaurants, while providingconventional eating utensils, have chopsticks available for thosepersons who wish to attempt to utilize chopsticks when eating, and inmany instances those persons who have not previously used chopsticks andelect to use chopsticks are reluctant to give up and switch toconventional eating utensils when they encounter difficulty in handlingthe chopsticks.

In such instances, not only are the patrons using chopsticks deprivedfrom fully enjoying their meal but the extra time consumed by thesepatrons who are unfamiliar with the use of chopsticks greatly reducesthe number of patrons which can be handled by the restaurant in a giventime period.

It is accordingly the main object of this invention to provide a holderfor chopsticks that will enable even the unexperienced person to handlechopsticks in a proficient manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holder for chopsticksthat may be utilized in conjunction with tapered chopsticks of differentsizes, thus enabling not only adult chopsticks but also chopsticksdesigned for use by children which are shorter and more slender to alsobe utilized in conjunction with the holder of the instant invention.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a holder forchopsticks designed to support a pair of chopsticks for swingingmovement toward and away from each other at their tapered ends and yetwhich will strongly resist deflection of the tapered ends of thechopsticks being held laterally of the plane in which the chopsticks areswingable relative to each other.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein isto provide a holder for chopsticks which will conform to conventionalforms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as toprovide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting andrelatively trouble free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first form of holder for chopsticksconstructed in accordance with the present invention and with a pair ofconventional chopsticks supported therefrom;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially uponthe plane indicated by the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank of spring metal from which thechopsticks holder illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be formed; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second form of chopsticks holderconstructed in accordance with the present invention and designedspecifically to be utilized in conjunction with chopsticks which arecircular in cross-sectional shape.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral generallydesignates a first form of chopstick holder which includes a pair ofspaced upstanding sleeve portions 12 and 14 interconnected by means ofan integral inverted U- shaped bow spring portion 16. A pair ofchopsticks 18 are illustrated as supported from the holder 10 and itwill be noted that the chopsticks 18 are generally rectangular incross-sectional shape and tapered toward their lower ends.

The holder 10 is constructed from a blank 20 of spring metal including anarrow elongated body 22 which is of substantially constant width andthickness throughout its midportion between its opposite end portionsfrom which a pair of integral enlarged portions 24 are supported. Theblank 20 is constructed of stiff metal having resilient properties andeach of the end portions 24 has a plurality of right angle bends 26 and28 formed therein in order to define the sleeve portions 12 and 14. Itwill be noted that the fold lines 26 and 28 are convergent toward theremote ends of the blank 20 whereby the resultant sleeves or sleeveportions 12 and 14 taper toward their lower ends when positioned asillustrated in FIG. 1' of the drawings.

The opposing edges 30 of the marginal portions of the end portions 24which oppose each other after the sleeve portions 12 and 14 have beenformed by bending the end portions 24 along the fold lines 26 and 28 maybe either secured to each other or merely disposed in abutting relation.In any event, the material of which the blank 20 is formed issufficiently stiff to prevent deflection of those portions of the blankwhich define the sleeve portions 12 and 14 after the latter have beenformed and the chopsticks 18 may be mounted in the holder 10 by firstinserting one of the chopsticks in one of the sleeve portions 12 and 14and thereafter bowing the body to a condition thereof similar to thatillustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings and then inserting the otherchopstick 18 in the other sleeve portion. After the chopsticks 18 havebeen engaged with the holder 10, the chopsticks 18 may be releasedwhereby the resiliency of the bow spring portion 16 of the holder20-will swing the lower ends of the chopsticks l8 apart until the upperends of the chopsticks 18 contact each other and prevent furtherstraightening of the bow spring portion 16 and thus movement of thetapered ends of the chopsticks l8 apart.

Of course, the wedging fit of the tapered chopsticks 18 in the sleeveportions 12 and 14 prevents the biasing action of the bow spring portion16 from urging the chopsticks 18 further downwardly through the sleeveportions l2 and 14.

In addition, although the chopsticks l8 wedgingly seat in the sleeveportions 12 and 14, the holder 10 may also be util ized with shorter andslimmer chopsticks such as those designed for use by children and suchslimmer chopsticks will merely move further downwardly relative to thesleeve portions 12 and 14 before seating in the latter whereby thetapered ends of the childrens chopsticks will be spaced further from theholder thereby requiring less force to be applied by a child in urgingthe lower tapered ends of a pair of childrens chopsticks together togrip a piece of food therebetween.

With attention now invited more specifically to FIG. 4 of the drawings,there will be seen a modified form of chopsticks holder generallydesignated by the reference numeral 34 and which is adapted for use inconjunction with a pair of chopsticks 36 which are substantiallycircular in cross-sectional shape. The chopsticks 36 are also downwardlytapered and the holder 34 is constructed of a length of spring wirewhose opposite ends are wound into adjacent abutted convolutions inorder to form a pair of tapering sleeve portions 36 and 38 correspondingto the sleeve portions 12 and 14. The sleeve portions 36 and 38 arejoined by an integral midportion of the length of spring wire from whichthe sleeve portions 36 and 38 are formed and which is bent into agenerally U-shaped configuration defining a bow spring 40 correspondingto the bow spring 16.

Other than the holder 34 being constructed of a length of resilientspring wire, the holder 34 is structurally and operationally equivalentto the holder 10.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a pair of upstanding spaced-apart sleeve portionsgenerally rectangular in cross section and interconnected by means of abow spring, said bow spring being generally inverted U-shaped inconfiguration defining a pair of upstanding legs interconnected at theirupper ends by means of an upwardly convex arcuate portion, the lowerends of said legs being secured to the upper extremities of the adjacentsides of said sleeve portions, said sleeve portions being internallydownwardly tapered, a pair of upstanding downwardly tapering chopsticks,said chopsticks being generally rectangular in cross-sectional shape anddownwardly seatingly received in and extending through said sleeveportions with the upper ends of said chopsticks projecting upwardlyabove the uppermost portions of said sleeve portions and said bow springand the lower extremities of the chopsticks projecting downwardly belowsaid sleeve portions, said bow spring comprising a strip of spring sheetmetal and said sleeve portions comprise enlarged integral sheet metalend portions at the opposite ends of said bow spring each includingopposite side portions projecting outwardly from the opposite side edges,of the corresponding end of said sheet metal strip, each of saidenlarged end portions having a pair of opposite side right angles bendsformed therein along bend lines extending along and siightly convergenttoward the corresponding end of the sheet metal strip, whereby saidsleeve portions are formed.

1. In combination, a pair of upstanding spaced-apart sleeve portionsgenerally rectangular in cross section and interconnected by means of abow spring, said bow spring being generally inverted U-shaped inconfiguration defining a pair of upstanding legs interconnected at theirupper ends by means of an upwardly convex arcuate portion, the lowerends of said legs being secured to the upper extremities of the adjacentsides of said sleeve portions, said sleeve portions being internallydownwardly tapered, a pair of upstanding downwardly tapering chopsticks,said chopsticks being generally rectangular in crosssectional shape anddownwardly seatingly received in and extending through said sleeveportions with the upper ends of said chopsticks projecting upwardlyabove the uppermost portions of said sleeve portions and said bow springand the lower extremities of the chopsticks projecting downwardly belowsaid sleeve portions, said bow spring comprising a strip of spring sheetmetal and said sleeve portions comprise enlarged integral sheet metalend portions at the opposite ends of said bow spring each includingopposite side portions projecting outwardly from the opposite side edgesof the corresponding end of said sheet metal strip, each of saidenlarged end portions having a pair of opposite side right angles bendsformed therein along bend lines extending along and slightly convergenttoward the corresponding end of the sheet metal strip, whereby saidsleeve portions are formed.